Manchester United Halt Sporting Director Appointment Plans While Mourinho Is in Charge

Manchester United have reportedly decided not to proceed with plans to appoint a sporting director for the time being, and are not expected to resume the search while Jose Mourinho remains in charge of the club.

The club were widely reported to have been actively seeking out a director of football - in what would've been the first such appointment in the club's history - but have decided against it for now, according to the Mail.

Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

Things are tough at Old Trafford at the minute. Behind the scenes spats between Mourinho and players such as Paul Pogba, public criticisms of the transfer policy and clear on-field struggles have all contributed to a sense of disarray, apparently leading executive vice chairman Ed Woodward to decide against further rocking the boat.

The appointment would come with a significant upheaval of the club's structure - something perhaps not viable in its current fragile state, as pressure builds on Mourinho and his staff during his third season in charge.

A director of football remains on the cards for the long-term, however, as the club remains keen to modernise the balance of power established under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Gary M. Prior/GettyImages

Woodward is reportedly open to an appointment from within the club, but other names linked with the post include AS Roma's Monchi, and former United keeper Edwin Van Der Sar.

Whoever it ends up being, however, looks unlikely to work with Mourinho, as his successor looks set to be the first to operate under the new sporting director.